President Donald Trump’s abrupt reversal on his plan to force open the Strait of Hormuz came after Saudi Arabia, a key Gulf ally, suspended the U.S. military’s ability to use its bases and airspace to carry out the operation, according to two U.S. officials.
Trump surprised allies in the region on social media on Sunday by announcing “Project Freedom,” the U.S. military mission to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz to break Tehran’s chokehold on the critical waterway. The move angered the leadership in Saudi Arabia, which informed Washington it would not allow the U.S. military to fly aircraft from Prince Sultan Airbase, southeast of Riyadh, or fly through Saudi airspace to support the effort, the officials said. A call between Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman did not resolve the issue, the two U.S. officials said, forcing the president to pause Project Freedom in order to restore U.S. military access to the critical airspace. Other close Gulf allies were also caught off guard.
Trump had announced the operation over the weekend, and his top national security leaders spent much of Tuesday talking up the effort in public briefings at the Pentagon and White House, only to have the president suddenly halt the operation roughly 36 hours after it began.
Here’s where things stand in the U.S. and Iran’s efforts to reach a peace deal.
And these are the reasons why it could take more than a peace deal with Iran to resume shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, France’s aircraft carrier strike group is moving south of the Suez Canal and into the Red Sea in preparation for a potential French-British mission in the strait.
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